


Tough Nights

by eddie_dxaz



Category: 9-1-1
Genre: Evan Buckley doesn’t take care of himself, Exhaustion, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22674511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eddie_dxaz/pseuds/eddie_dxaz
Summary: Eddie takes care of Buck after a rough shift.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 19
Kudos: 463





	Tough Nights

It was a bad night. The shift had been really hard and when Buck tried to get sleep, he realized that all of the memories from the tsunami were clinging to his brain which meant that if he had even tried it would end badly. So he’s been up for over twenty four hours straight. The team seemed to notice a shift in his behavior. No one said anything though because they knew he wouldn’t tell them. Well, until after the shift.

“Buckaroo? You okay there?” Chim asks, changing into his clothes, hair still damp.

Buck just hummed in response. He had been sitting on the bench since Bobby told them they were okay to go. The man was covered in dirt, ash, and ceiling from their last call and his eyes were fighting to stay open. 

Suddenly he was falling and a pair of hands caught him. “Woah there,” Eddie’s voice rang out, “Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look so good.”

Buck opened his eyes again, standing up and stretching. He nodded, not wanting to respond to his best friend verbally as his mouth felt like it was filled with cotton balls. Chimney stared at him with concern while Eddie kept a hand on the man’s back, scared that he would fall over again. 

Chim starts, “I think I should go get Bobby-“

“Don’t,” Buck yawns, “I’m just a little tired.”

“You almost passed out standing up. I think ‘a little’ is an understatement,” Eddie states. 

His head was starting to ache. How come this was so hard? He used to stay up for two days in a row as a teenager with no problems. Chimney got out his phone now instead, “Alright. Then I’ll call Maddie to come get you.”

“Don’t,” He says again, “I’m fine.”

“Buck, I’m not letting you drive under this condition. Not only would your sister kill me but I couldn’t live with knowing we let you go if something happened. You’re my friend.”

Buck knew Chim was right. It wasn’t responsible to drive like this but his bed was at his place and the temptation to drive to it was so strong. All he wanted to do was curl up in it, nightmares be damned. He could always order an uber.

“Chim, don’t worry about it,” Eddie sighs, “I’ll take him home with me tonight.”

“Are you sure? He can be a lot to handle and I’ve already texted Maddie,” The shorter man responds, a teasing tone in his voice at that one part. 

“Oh trust me, I know. Just tell her I’ll text her when we get home.”

Hearing the phrase, “when we get home” come out of Eddie’s mouth while resting a hand on Buck’s back caused the blond’s heart to flutter. Although, it was true. Eddie’s place was more home than anywhere else. 

“What about Christopher?” Buck slurs.

“He’s with my abuela for one more night, it’s fine. Now come on, let’s get you home and bathed. You stink,” Eddie chuckles, picking up both of the partner’s bags and slinging them on his shoulder before placing a hand on his back, the other squeezing his bicep. 

“Alright... We’ll go home.” 

Chim watches the man guide the youngest member of the team away, an eyebrow lifted. Obviously, he was trying to figure something out. Maybe when the two started calling Eddie’s “home” and held each other so close like that. 

-•-•-•-

They make their way into Eddie’s, closing the door behind them. The older man plops the bags onto the ground with a thump before leading his best friend to his couch, shooting a text to Maddie like promised. Once they’re there, he pushes down on his shoulders until Buck sits. It was still dark in the living room. That was a good thing, his eyes couldn’t take any bright lights at the moment.

He felt like sludge. His limbs almost felt tingly at this point and the couch was so soft. Buck could fall asleep right now. Eddie crouched in front of the other man and started taking his shoes off. Afterwards disappearing somewhere, the action followed by the sound of a shower being turned on. 

Buck forced his eyes to stay open but they just felt too heavy. Could he even stand in the shower? What if he passed out again? Eddie came back into the room, helping him up. They made their way to the bathroom. 

“I’ll be right in the living room if you need me,” The brunet states, going to leave but not before Buck grabs his arm. 

“I don’t think I can stand up for that long,” He admits, looking down.

It was the truth. His body was aching from the last call now. It was a house fire and Buck had experienced a ceiling tile fall onto him. That wasn’t fun. Plus, walking up and down those stairs while already being kept awake by adrenaline only? It of course would lead to this. 

Eddie seemed thoughtful for a minute before holding up a finger and telling him to wait. He walked out. Buck leaned against the sink, eyes closing, chin ducking into his chest. A hand on his shoulder jolted him awake and he was staring back at his friend who now held a pair of swim trunks in hand. 

“Arms up,” Eddie orders and he reluctantly follows. 

The shirt was now being pulled off. The sudden chill caused goosebumps to raise on his chest. Or maybe that was Eddie motioning him to undo his belt. It definitely was the latter. It’s amazing the effect that that man has on him despite the fact that he was borderline dead. 

His best friend hands him the trunks, turning around and closing his eyes, “Use me to keep your balance.”

After Buck changed into the swim trunks, he hummed to Eddie to signal that it was okay to look. The man turned around and guided him into the shower. The warm water was almost like an instant relief, in all honestly. His shoulders got less tense and his muscles seemed to unwind themselves at every droplet.

Eddie helped him. They were wordless for a while as Buck eventually sat because his legs felt jello at this point. Once he was rinsed enough, his partner grabbed the shampoo from the shelf inside the shower and squirted some into his hand. 

“I don’t know why you do this to yourself,” Eddie breathes out as he gets down on his knees to massage the shampoo into Buck’s scalp. There was a good amount of disappointment in the tone too which made the man in the shower start to feel bad. It was quickly replaced.

The blond’s mouth involuntarily formed into a slight smile as his eyes shut. The sensation of getting his hair washed wasn’t new to him but the whole fact that it was someone he truly loved? Romantically? That was something else. It wasn’t sexual pleasure. No, this was a new type. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if this is what it felt like to be truly loved by someone. Sure, Abby was close. They, however, were never like _this._ This was something completely unfamiliar entirely. It was nice. 

As Eddie covered Buck’s eyes, obviously instinct from bathing Christopher, and washed out the shampoo from his now pin-straight locks he couldn’t help but feel a streak of panic. This wasn’t how it felt. His best friend didn’t love him like that and here he was overthinking everything. 

“You awake, man?” The other man asks, now putting conditioner in. 

Buck just makes a “mmhm” noise, looking at the amazing person that was the truly the greatest friend he’s ever had. The calm that radiated from him right now was another new thing and it filled Evan with hope. This wasn’t awkward for either of them. It almost felt normal. 

When did it even get like this? Did all friends do this for each other? That didn’t seem likely. Hen would never wash Chim or Athena’s hair or help them bathe unless they were literally on their deathbed and he probably wouldn’t for them either. As much as he loved them. Maybe he would for Bobby but it’s freaking Bobby. 

Why are all Bobby’s dad figure? Buck shook away the random thought to say a small, “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For taking care of me. You really don’t have to.”

“Yes I do,” Eddie shrugs simply, meeting Buck’s eyes with his own, “Not just because you’re my best friend and I’m obligated to, either.”

“Then why?”

He seems to think about his answer, brown eyes darting back and forth before shooting back to make contact with his own blue orbs again, “Because you always take care of everyone. You take care of your sister, Bobby, Hen, Chim, Athena, me- hell- You even look out for Christopher. Who’s taking care of you?” 

“Me.”

“No, you’re not,” Eddie sighs, closing his eyes for a brief moment the way he does when Buck says something slightly frustrating, “I’ve never once seen you genuinely make sure you’re okay. Not once. It’s always about sacrificing yourself to get where you need to be or to make others happy. That’s why I’m returning the favor right now and gladly will whenever you need it from now on.”

They didn’t speak for a bit. Maybe he should crack a joke, “You know, they say that washing another person’s hair is the most domestic and purest form of love? Careful, Diaz. Or I’ll start to think you’re in love with me.”

“Think whatever you want, Buckley,” Eddie chuckles. 

Buck was quiet for the rest of the shower, too tired to even think about the meaning of that right now. Yet, his heart was hammering in his chest. 

-•-•-•-

After he was in a pair of Eddie’s sweat pants and an old t-shirt with freshly brushed teeth, he tried making his way to the couch calling his name. The brunet wasn’t having that, though. A pair of hands led him to the bed, pushing him down on it. 

If Buck didn’t feel like crashing at the moment, that probably would have turned him on. So, good thing for that. “Why?” He asks with no context. 

Eddie shrugs, “You need sleep.” 

“I can sleep on the couch, though.”

“Do you want to sleep on the couch?” His friend questions, looking up from the watch he was currently taking off. 

Buck blinked, “No.”

“Do you want me to sleep on the couch, then? Because I will if sharing a bed is too weird,” The fellow firefighter adds, now focusing on taking off the item again. He was also ready for bed, supporting LAFD sweats and a t-shirt that read “Texas Rangers” on it.

“No,” The taller man repeated, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Then,” His best friend exhales as he crashes down on the bed, “What’s the problem?”

Oh God. The problem? How about the fact that he was absolutely and totally in love with Edmundo Diaz? That he was afraid this meant nothing to said person he’s in love with but everything to him? There were so many that he could think of. But Buck just responded with, “There’s no problem.” 

Eddie nods his head once, “Good.”

The light is suddenly off and Buck is aware of the fact that he still hasn’t moved from a sitting position. So he lays down, putting the covers over him and staring up at the ceiling. The only sound that could be heard was the two men breathing, both seeming to be lost in thought about something. 

Why the hell couldn’t he sleep? He’s been up for almost a day and a half now. Sleep wasn’t coming despite that along with his eyes that were now tearing up because they’ve been forced open for so long. Not to mention the aching behind them. 

“I can hear you thinking,” Eddie kills the silence, “I’ll really go to the couch if it’s weirding you out.”

“It’s not that... It’s just....I’m just scared,” Buck confides, not even knowing that that was the reason until now. 

His partner sits up immediately at that, turning the light on. A look of worry invaded his features that were nothing but relaxed about ten minutes ago when they were getting ready for bed together. Now the blond felt bad. 

“Scared? Of what?” His friend interrogates. 

“The nightmares,” Buck steadies his weight onto his elbow, “Every time, for the past few nights, I close my eyes and it’s there again. Images of it just flashing behind my eyelids. There’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

What “it” was really didn’t need to be clarified, they both knew that “it” was the tsunami. Eddie purses his lips for a moment before speaking, “Buck, when’s the last time you slept?”

He just shrugged helplessly. That seemed to sadden the man next to him. No other words were exchanged, however. He just turned the light off again and laid back down. 

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Buck and tugged him onto a body of muscles. From this position, with his head resting on his friend’s chest, he could hear the racing of Eddie’s heart very clearly. It was so loud that he almost didn’t hear the, “This is okay, right?”

Buck nodded. His legs were tangled with Eddie’s now and his eyes were involuntarily starting to close as he got lulled to sleep by the sound of his best friend’s slightly rapid heartbeat. It was good feeling. Also, along with the hand rubbing his back comfortingly? Evan Buckley was a goner.

He didn’t have a nightmare that night.


End file.
